The Volvo S80 that’s driven more than 1.1 million kilometres
A 20-year-old example of Volvo’s first-generation luxury car is one of the highest-mileage cars discovered in Britain.
A 2001 Volvo S80 has made headlines after being discovered as one of the UK’s highest-mileage cars.
The large executive sedan has racked up 717,000 miles – 1,153,899 kilometres – during its 20-year history, yet is still going strong.
The car was recently acquired by a new motoring magazine, Bargain Cars, which is dedicated to “desirable, interesting and best-value” used cars. The S80 is a 2.5D variant using a 2.5-litre turbo diesel engine.
“The Volvo is remarkable, not only because it is still going but also because it still drives really well – it’s powerful, smooth and still quite tight,”
“The Volvo is remarkable, not only because it is still going but also because it still drives really well – it’s powerful, smooth and still quite tight,” Bargain Cars editor Peter Simpson said.
“It goes to show that if you maintain a car well, it’ll reward you with reliability.”
Bargain Cars magazine is planning to take the S80 on a tour of Britain to help the odometer reach 750,000 miles (1,207,000km).
Remarkably, this Volvo S80 covered more than half of its mileage – 400,000 miles – in its first three years, when it was used as a chauffeur-driven limo for VIPs. It was then used as a humbler airport taxi.
The first-generation Volvo S80 debuted in 1998, introducing notable safety features including the Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS) car seat design that aimed to improve protection in the event of a rear-end collision, and the Inflatable Curtain airbag system designed to protect heads in a side-on impact.
The 2001 S80 still has a considerable way to go if it is to surpass the 3.2 million miles of the famous 1966 Volvo P1800 – a Guinness World Record set by the car’s late owner, Irv Gordon.
